Children's Home run by Acorn Norfolk Limited in Norfolk

Inspection report children’s home: 2641888 1 Registered provider: Acorn Norfolk Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to five children with learning disabilities. It is operated by a national provider.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered at the same time as the home in January 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is in the grounds of a special school and six other children's homes all operated by the same national provider. The school is independently registered.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2641888 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2641888 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, there were four children living at the home. One child has moved in and out of the home since the home’s registration. The introduction of a fifth child affected the dynamics in the home, which resulted in an increase in incidents between children. Staff responded to these incidents effectively to ensure that all children were kept safe. The manager has considered and declined several referrals since the child moved on. Robust impact assessments and suitable matching ensure that the needs and feelings of children living at the home are considered before a new child moves in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children use signs and symbols and picture exchange systems to communicate. The staff are well trained in these different methods. They know the children well and have a good knowledge of their individual means of communication. Staff use social stories and visual timetables with the children to share information, reassure them and to reinforce messages. Communication aids are accessible in every area of the home. Therefore, children are supported and encouraged to make their wishes and feelings known at every opportunity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s attendance at school is good. Daily communication between the home and school ensures that there is a joint approach to problem-solving when a child is experiencing difficulties. Staff from the home support children in classroom settings. For one child, this additional support at school has led to increased attendance and engagement in school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress from their starting points. Parents and social workers are pleased with the care that staff provide to their children. Communication from the staff is reported to be good. Parents value the daily emails which give them an update of their child’s day. Staff have established positive relationships with children’s families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is comfortable and welcoming. The rooms are spacious and well maintained. Children’s bedrooms are furnished and decorated according to the child’s preferences. There are photos of children displayed in the communal areas of the home. This helps the children to feel that they belong and that the house is their home. The garden is large enough to accommodate two trampolines, which are well used by the children. The patio is uneven in places and the raised beds containing herbs and sensory plants need attention. This detracts from what is otherwise a very pleasant outside space.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain and build positive relationships with their families. Staff use social stories, scripts and timelines to reassure children when they will see their families. Overnight and weekend stays with parents are regular occurrences for some of the children. One child has recently started to have overnight stays with their parent. Good communication and planning between the Inspection report children’s home: 2641888 4 managers, parent and social worker have helped to make the overnight stays a positive experience for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Community trips and activities with the children are limited. Children are not regularly supported with hobbies and interests, such as horse riding, swimming, coastal trips and theme parks. Although feedback from families is generally positive, several parents have highlighted the shortage of activities as an issue. This lack of exposure to community engagement reduces the experiences and social development opportunities for the children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children’s plans are clearly written. Risk assessments for children are detailed and contain presenting risks. These are regularly reviewed and updated following any changes. The staff are informed about changes during staff meetings, which are highly attended and child focused. This helps staff to feel confident and to be consistent in their responses to the children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff take appropriate action to keep children safe when incidents occur. No children have gone missing from the home. Bullying is not considered an issue at present. There have been a few incidents necessitating physical intervention. When this has been used, it has been minimal and used to keep staff or the child safe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The staff use imaginative communication methods with the children to help with their understanding of safety. Debriefs and reflective learning sessions are carried out with the children after incidents in a way that is meaningful to the child. Social stories are provided for the children to help with their understanding of being kind and how others feel when they are hurt. Creative sessions with the children help their understanding of being safe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Safer recruitment processes are comprehensively carried out to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. The staff receive a thorough induction which includes a range of training and shadow shifts with experienced staff. Good induction, support and training help staff to meet children’s needs and provide continuity of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have a clear understanding of the progress that children are making. They are a highly visible presence. The managers regularly change their working hours so that they can spend time with the children and staff in the evenings. As managers are available on shift, they act as positive models to the staff and establish trusted relationships with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Good monitoring systems are in place to ensure that children’s records are up to date and that children are getting the services and level of care that they require. Visits from the independent person help the manager to evaluate the quality of care. These evaluations have informed the home’s development plan. Inspection report children’s home: 2641888 5 Staff say that they feel well supported by the manager. The staff receive regular supervision, which helps them to improve how they look after the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has established good working relationships with social workers and parents, who are positive about the communication and relationship with her. The manager is responsive to feedback and acts as a result of this. For one child, this meant that proposed staffing changes did not take place, as the parent and social worker felt that this would have a detrimental impact on the child’s progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Parents and social workers say that there has been a high turnover of support staff. However, the management team has remained the same. Parents are reassured by the continued, effective management of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff take advantage of a comprehensive training programme. The staff implement learning into their daily practice. Staff are tutors for physical intervention training, communication, and medication administration training. Effective training ensures that staff are well equipped to meet the children’s needs. However, not all staff have achieved a relevant level 3 diploma within two years of commencing a care role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Several staff and children have tested positive for COVID-19. The staff are proud of how all the children managed during the isolation period. There have been ongoing staffing shortages due to COVID-19, general sickness and vacancies. There are regular occurrences of insufficient staffing numbers. This reduces opportunities for children’s development and potentially puts children at risk. Inspection report children’s home: 2641888 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences; and

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Requirement Due date

make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)) 2 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d)) 12 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate 2 June 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2641888 7 qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the garden is free from trip hazards and is well presented. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 2641888 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Acorn Norfolk Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Atria, Spa Road, Bolton BL1 4AG

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Kirsty Orton-Kabanzi

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Inspector

Rachel Watkinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2641888 9 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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